It has been more than 25 years since gynecologists first performed a "Q-tip test" utilizing a cotton-tipped device as an urethral probe for measuring the urethral length and change in the vesicle angle while making a diagnosis and/or evaluation of urinary stress incontinence. This procedure is described in considerable detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,144 granted in 1978 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,939 granted in 1986.
A clinician uses an urethral probe for examining the urethra of a female patient as an aid in determining the extent of relaxation or change in position of the supporting tissues around the neck of the bladder, sphincter (trigone) and urethra.
The probe in the hands of a skilled physician is used to measure the change in the urethral vesicle angle when the patient performs one or more straining maneuvers, and also is used to determine the length of the urethra and the tone of the sphincter, i.e., the trigone of the bladder.